Harris Teeter - Produce Power

Produce Power

PRODUCE POWER
This month’s yourwellness brochure focuses on produce and the importance of incorporating fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. The Harris Teeter Farmers Market offers you an average of 500 produce items and over 50 organic produce choices. We not only want to share information with you on the benefits of fruits and vegetables, we also want to help you understand what organic means, so you can decide which items are best for you and your family.

If you have been reading Harris Teeter’s yourwellness brochures, you’ve probably seen us advise you to “Eat the Rainbow!” This is particularly good advice for your children, who will find it easy to remember and fun to do with the wide selection of colorful produce available at the Harris Teeter Farmer’s Market. There’s no better time to start eating the rainbow than right now!

Mix and match to help your children have a colorful day!
Variety is one of the keys to having a healthy diet, particularly when eating fruits and vegetables. Each different colored fruit or vegetable has its own unique set of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. Phytonutrients are natural compounds that, together with vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in fruits and vegetables, can be beneficial to your health. When you eat an assortment of fruits and vegetables, you not only benefit from individual compounds, but also from the way they interact with one another. These interactions are what many researchers believe provide the wide range of health benefits associated with regularly eating fruits and vegetables. So encourage your children to eat the rainbow at every meal!

GREEN
Avocado	Broccoli	Zucchini	Apples
Asparagus	Peas	Kiwi	Cucumber
Spinach	Beans	Grapes	Celery
Peppers

ORANGE & YELLOW
Carrots	Cantaloupe	Pineapple	Oranges
Sweet Potatoes	Peaches	Corn	Grapefruit
Papaya	Beans	Lemons	Pumpkin
Squash

RED, PURPLES & BLUES
Cabbage	Radishes	Cherries	Grapes
Peppers	Apples	Strawberries	Raisins
Tomatoes	Watermelon	Raspberries	Eggplant
Beets	Plums	Blueberries

WHITE
Onions	Bosc Pears	Mushrooms
Jicama	Cauliflower	Turnips
Bananas	Garlic	Parsnips
Peppers

How many fruits and vegetables should your child eat each day?
The current recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake is based on gender, age and activity level. Most children (and adults) in the U.S. should be eating more fruits and vegetables than we currently do for optimum health. A general rule is to have at least one fruit and vegetable at every meal, and to eat a variety of colors each day. If you want a detailed estimation of how many fruits and vegetables your child needs, visit www.mypyramid.gov and enter in the appropriate information for your child.

THE BENEFITS OF EATING FRUITS & VEGETABLES
When you encourage your children to eat more fruits and vegetables you are sure to get one question…WHY? Many answers may suffice, depending on the age of your child. Maybe a simple “because they taste great” will do, but if not, here are a few of the benefits from eating fruits and vegetables that you should know.

Packed with vitamins and minerals – from the potassium in bananas to the Vitamin C found in oranges, nothing compares to the nutrients found in fruits and vegetables.
Naturally high in fiber – broccoli, pears and prunes are loaded with fiber, but all fruits and vegetables give you a fiber boost.
Low in calories – one cup of carrots has about 50 calories and zero grams of fat, compared to one cup of potato chips with about 155 calories and 10 grams of fat.
Provide unique phytonutrients not found in other foods– from sulforaphane in broccoli to beta carotene in sweet potatoes, scientists are focusing on the phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables as a key to fighting disease.
May lower the risk of some diseases (like cancer and heart disease) – studies show that fruit and vegetable eaters have less chronic illness.
Easy to store and carry along for snacks – what’s more convenient than a banana or apple? Just grab it and go!

10 Tips for Encouraging Children to Eat the Rainbow
What we teach our kids early in life they may stray from as teens, but research shows they return to the early teachings as young adults. Therefore, it is important to teach our children to have healthy eating habits.

Have your child help the family explore tasty treats by choosing new and colorful produce at Harris Teeter each week.
Challenge your child to make the most colorful plate they can at each meal, maybe even letting them create edible art.
Have your child tally all the colors they eat each day and see if there are any they missed. If so, be sure to start the following day with that color!
Serve a vegetable tray as a snack instead of chips, bread or crackers.
Enjoy colorful fruit kabobs for dessert.
Add a variety of vegetables to soups and spaghetti sauce.
For breakfast, blend fruit with yogurt for a smoothie, see how many different colors they can try each week.
Discuss television advertisements with your kids to help them distinguish between healthy and unhealthy food choices.
Most importantly, model healthy behaviors. Make sure you have a colorful plate at every meal so your child can see you eat the rainbow too!
Place some freshly cut fruits and vegetables out each morning so they are readily available for your family to snack on throughout the day.

FRUITS & VEGETABLES SAFETY TIPS
Storage Tips

Certain perishable fresh fruits and vegetables (like strawberries, lettuce, herbs, and mushrooms) are best maintained by storing at a temperature of 40° F or below. If you’re not sure whether an item should be refrigerated to maintain quality, ask your Farmers Market green thumb expert.
All fruits and vegetables that are purchased pre-cut or peeled should be refrigerated at 40° F or below to maintain both quality and safety.
Store fresh fruits and vegetables separately from meat, poultry and seafood products to avoid cross-contamination.

Preparation Tips

Begin with clean hands. Wash your hands for 15 to 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing fresh fruits and vegetables.
Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and/or eating.
Thoroughly rinse all fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting or cooking. Don’t use soap, detergents, or bleach solutions. Even if you plan to peel the item before eating, it is still important to thoroughly rinse it first.
Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush.
Drying produce with a paper towel can further reduce bacteria that may be present.
Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot water and soap between the preparation of raw meat, poultry and seafood products and the preparation of fruits and vegetables.

Sources: www.fda.gov

YOUR ORGANIC CHOICE
Organic Logo

Harris Teeter provides you with organic choices in every department. You can find organic items in the grocery aisles, throughout the frozen foods department and, of course in the Fishermans, Fresh Foods and Farmers Markets. To make it easy for shoppers to identify their organic choices, Harris Teeter labels these items with purple signs.

Harris Teeter Naturals Products

In addition to the purple signs, Harris Teeter has developed an organic line of products to offer its shoppers called Harris Teeter Naturals®. Take our Harris Teeter Naturals® Organic Milk, for example. Few things can equal the refreshing wholesomeness of milk, and Harris Teeter Naturals® milk is simply the best you can buy. In fact, none of the farmers who supply our organic milk treat their cows with antibiotics or growth hormones, providing you the most pure and natural milk available.

You can find Harris Teeter Naturals® rice, pasta, juices, soy milk and many other products at your Harris Teeter.

Defining the Terms
“Organic,” “natural,” and “conventional” refer to how food is raised, grown, or processed.

Organic
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has specific standards that must be followed in order for products to be labeled organic. For a food to be organic, farmers must avoid use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified seeds, growth hormones and antibiotics. Additionally, organic foods are not irradiated. Products labeled “100 percent organic” contain only organically produced ingredients. Products labeled “organic” must consist of at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. Processed products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients can use the phrase “made with organic ingredients.” Natural, hormone-free and free range products are not necessarily organic.

Natural
The USDA regulates meat and poultry products. Suppliers are allowed to use the word “natural” only if the product contains no artificial ingredients, coloring ingredients, or chemical preservatives and if the product and its ingredients are minimally processed. The FDA defines the term “natural flavor” as an essential oil, extract or essence that contains the flavor derived from a spice, fruit, vegetable, herb or other products whose function is flavoring. The term “all natural” is used on many products, but is defined by the product manufacturer and is thus not regulated.

Conventional
People generally refer to fruits and vegetables not grown organically as conventional. Many people believe that eating organic produce offers them higher concentrations of beneficial vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. This remains to be proven, and conventional fruits and vegetables remain excellent sources of important nutrients.

Dirt and microorganisms can be found on produce regardless of whether it is conventional or organic. Always wash produce thoroughly before serving it, and peel and core vegetables and fruits appropriately.

RECIPES

Tofu Stir Fry

1 box of firm tofu
Harris Teeter Egg Start substitute for 1 egg
3/4 cup Harris Teeter cornstarch
4 tbsp H.T. Traders Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Farmers Market green onions, chopped
1 tbsp Farmers Market ginger, minced
1 tbsp Farmers Market garlic, minced
2/3 cup organic vegetable stock
2 tbsp H.T. Traders low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp red pepper flakes, crushed
1 tbsp sherry (optional)
1 tbsp Harris Teeter white wine vinegar
Farmers Market broccoli, steamed
H.T. Traders basmati brown rice

Drain, dry and cut tofu into 1 inch chunks. Combine egg substitute with 3 tablespoons water. Dip tofu in egg substitute water mixture and coat completely. Sprinkle cornstarch over tofu, reserving 1 tablespoon, and coat completely. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in pan and stir fry tofu pieces until golden. Drain oil.

Heat remaining olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add green onions, ginger and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes. Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sherry and vinegar. Mix 2 tablespoons cold water with 1 remaining tablespoon cornstarch and pour into mixture, stirring well. Add stir fried tofu and coat evenly. Serve immediately with steamed broccoli over brown rice.

Veggie Burger

1/2 cup cracked wheat
1/4 lb Farmers Market green beans
1 small Farmers Market zucchini
1 small Farmers Market carrot, peeled
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled
1/2 cup HT Naturals chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp Farmers Market onion, minced
1 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp expeller pressed canola oil
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp Harris Teeter chili powder
1 tbsp garlic
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Harris Teeter pepper
1/2 cup Harris Teeter bread crumbs

Cook green beans in boiling water until tender-crisp. Drain and chop finely. Cook cracked wheat in 1 cup boiling water for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cover. Grate the zucchini, carrot, and apple and place in a dish towel to squeeze out excess liquid. Combine with chopped beans.

In a food processor blend chickpeas, onions, garlic, tahini, curry powder, chili powder, salt, pepper, and canola oil until smooth. Add to shredded mixture. Drain cracked wheat with strainer, pressing with back of a spoon to extract excess liquid. Combine cracked wheat, vegetables and bread crumbs. Refrigerate for one hour. With wet hands, shape into 4 burgers and cook on the grill. Serve on a whole wheat bun.

Farmers Market Chips

1 bundle of Farmers Market kale
Kosher salt to taste
Harris Teeter olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to about 350¡. Wash kale and tear leaves into chip size pieces. Spray sheet pan and kale pieces with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with Kosher salt. Bake until edges turn slightly brown and chips are crispy.

Farmers Market Mango Salsa

5 Farmers Market mangos, diced
1 Farmers Market red onion, diced
3 Farmers Market Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Farmers Market jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup Farmers Market cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 Farmers Market lime
Zest of one Farmers Market lime

Combine diced mango, onion, tomato, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice and zest.

Pear and Apple Sauce

6 Farmers Market pears, cored & chopped
3 Farmers Market apples, cored & chopped
1 cup HT Naturals raisins
1/4 cup Harris Teeter white grape juice
1 tsp Harris Teeter cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp mace

Put all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat to simmer, covered, stir occasionally. Cook until fruit is soft.

Black Bean Burrito

2 cans HT Naturals black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp H.T. Trader extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Farmers Market scallions, sliced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup Farmers Market cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
2 Farmers Market jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 Farmers Market lime, juiced
Kosher salt to taste

Heat vegetable broth. Place beans in a food processor, and pour vegetable broth over the beans, puree.

Heat the oil over medium heat, add the scallions, coriander, and cumin, and sautŽ, stirring frequently, until tender. Add this spice mixture, cilantro, and chili paste to the beans and puree until chunky, 10-20 seconds. Add lime juice and salt.

Spread mixture on a flour tortilla, top with lettuce and tomato. Fold into a burrito and enjoy.